Natural Gas

Republic Services Adds 66 CNG Trucks

April 15, 2016
• by Staff

Photo courtesy of Republic Services, Inc.

Republic Services is adding 66 CNG trucks to its refuse collection fleet in St. Louis and South Florida to commemorate Earth Day.

The company is adding four CNG solid waste collection trucks to its fleet serving customers in metropolitan St. Louis. The trucks replace older diesel-powered trucks, and bring the total number of natural gas vehicles operated in the area to 107.

Republic is also adding 62 CNG trucks to customers in Broward and Dade Counties in Florida. The new CNG trucks bring the total number of natural gas vehicles operated by Republic in South Florida to 127.

Each new CNG collection truck deployed equates to planting over 600 mature trees annually, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Based on EPA calculations, the carbon emissions reduction benefits from the company’s CNG-powered fleet in St. Louis is equivalent to planting 64,200 mature trees yearly.

In metropolitan St. Louis, Republic has more than 630 employees who serve roughly 300,000 residential customers and more than 20,000 commercial customers. Meanwhile, in South Florida, the company has more than 220 employees who serve approximately 117,000 residential customers and more than 10,500 commercial customers.

Republic operates a fleet of approximately 2,500 CNG vehicles and 38 natural gas fueling stations nationwide. The company’s CNG-powered fleet helps to save roughly 18 million gallons of diesel fuel annually. Roughly one-third of all replacement vehicles purchased last year by Republic were CNG-powered.

An automotive-related sustainability stakeholder group has announced that it appreciates that language within the Trump administration’s proposed rule aimed at rolling back automobile fuel-efficiency targets set by the Obama administration reflects that "natural gas is an important part of the climate change battle."